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Week 1-2 of Critter Camp went well with the 3 – 5 graders the first week and the 6 – 8 graders the second week.
Below is the list of stats and highlights of our camp for both weeks:
15 Campers, 3 volunteers and 1 teacher (Beth Humrich).
- Interactive activities included a rotation of Grooming, Cat Care and Agility Yard which were the most popular.
- Groomed 22 dogs
- Interacted a learned behavior of 66 cats
- Walked and taught shelter manners with 26 dogs
- Fridays we learned Clicker Training with Christine Strickland and Minnie Burke.
- Started with speakers every morning including:
- Patt Glenn- Kindness to animals, bite prevention and who we are here at the SPCA
- Linda Singleton and Cal Arter- Brought her therapy dog Cody; talked about the use of therapy dogs.
- Mary Church- Disaster Preparation and the Scoop on Poop; being a responsible pet owner.
- Linda and Cassie from the Medical Center- Animal Health, Veterinary Care, Microchips, and Heartworm Prevention.
- Made dogs toys, painted cat carriers, made animal magnets- all given back to the SPCA.
- Watched surgeries.
- Pet Care Scavenger Hunt with a digital camera
- Wrote descriptions of 1 cat (Chauncey) and 1 dog (Vanilla) best paragraph went up on our website, great writing assignment for the kids.
- No serious injuries
- No behavior issues- all kids were well behaved and very smart.
- Collected $34 in donations from one student who saved up all year!
- Received cat and dog donations.
- 3 cats and 2 dogs got adopted by Critter Camp parents!
Feedback:
“Thank you for providing this wonderful opportunity for the kids in our community. Nick thoroughly enjoyed Critter Camp and was eager to get to camp each morning. We are so thankful that he found our newest family member, Hampton.”
“Thank you for a wonderful program! We are looking forward to next year!”
“My daughter loved walking the dogs and interacting with the animals. I appreciate the information you shared with them, e.g. heartworm prevention, therapy dogs and spay and neuter.”
“Everything was fantastic from the logistics to the snacks and fun. Thank you for making my daughter Molly’s camp experience such a great one. She is looking forward to volunteering in the fall.”
“Nick loved it! Josh loved it! You do so many activities and it appears to be very organized. Great Job!”
“Watching my daughter’s face light up each day I came home and asked her what she did. She loves caring for the animals and has since taken up the Clicker Training with our dog at the house.”
Many parents responded that we should have the hours extended for next year.
Also when asked about the quality of teaching with speakers and interactive activities we got EXCELLENT across the board.
Thank you SPCA staff and volunteers for making this program a great success!
I am looking forward to next summer’s Critter Camp. Please check our website for details on next year’s Critter Camp.
I’m sure we all see strays every day – stray cats, an occasional stray dog, a wandering possum – either way (especially in the dog and cat cases) the right thing to do would be to pick them up. That is if you can catch them!
A Good Samaritan of sorts was driving on Old Hwy 33 in Lakeland earlier this month and spotted a wandering Pug. Pugs are typically heavy panters and don’t do well out in the hot Florida sun without some sustenance and hydration. So, this passerby picked up the lucky pug and took him to our Incoming Animals area. A microchip scan revealed much-needed info – an address, phone number and owner name. We called them.
The owners were SO HAPPY! Suse, the pug, had been missing for 3 weeks. After all of the excitement calmed down, the owner asked, “Where are you located?” Shelly, one of our Adoption Center staff, gave the usual info about being off of South Florida Avenue near Sonny’s and the next question was a little surprising.
“Where in Miami is that?”
Suse was one happy pug when she was reunited to her “dad”.Yes – you read that right! The owners (and the dog) were from Miami. Somehow Suse had hitchhiked her way all the way to Lakeland and a microchip was the lifesaver and source of reuniting this panting pug with her forever family.
What can we learn from this heartwarming story?
1. Microchip your pets! This could be the only way that a reunion is possible if you become separated somehow.
2. Make sure your information is updated with your microchipping company. Often, we forget that they need to be updated each time we move, too.
3. If you see a stray, pick it up. You could be the good Samaritan in your own heartwarming story of a much- needed reunion.
See the Bay News 9 story and video here: http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/july/120449/Missing-Miami-pug-turns-up-in-Lakeland-weeks-later
Lakeland, Fla. – The SPCA is collecting hair (pet and human) to help in the effort to mop up the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The hair will be packaged and mailed to Matter of Trust – a non-profit organization that collects hair to help clean up oil spills. The only requirement is that the hair be clean and debris free. You can drop off hair donations to the SPCA at 5850 Brannen Road South in Lakeland.
For more information about the SPCA, visit www.lovemyspca.com, call 863/646-7722 or e-mail info@lovemyspca.com.
To learn more about Matter of Trust, visit www.matteroftrust.org.
- Owner Darryl Thomas and Mongo Man present Community Outreach Coordinator Mary Church with a check for almost $400 for the SPCA’s May 4 event.
Lakeland, Fla. – The SPCA held a fundraiser at BD’s Mongolian Grill in Lakeside Village on Tuesday, May 4. Through a combination of tips given to celebrity grillers and 20% of the evening’s sales, over $400 was raised to help the animals at the SPCA.
Celebrity grillers included the City of Lakeland’s Deputy City Manager Tony Delgado, Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, the Lakeland Police Department’s Assistant Chief Bill LePere, 97 Country’s Melissa Moran, MAX 98.3’s Eric Michaels and Mike Lee, Ross Vecchio’s Dennis Ross, FOX 13’s Ken Suarez, and Lakeland City Commissioners Justin Troller and Howard Wiggs.
For more information about the SPCA and other upcoming events, visit www.lovemyspca.com, call 863/646-7722 or e-mail info@lovemyspca.com.
Happy Friday, everyone!
The SPCA is so excited about an exciting way that you can help us without having to give a penny.
Here’s how to help:
1. Go to http://www.theanimalsheltersite.com and click on the purple box that says “Click Here to Give – It’s FREE!” You’ll be taken to a new page that tells you how each click goes to feed rescue animals.
2. At the top of the new page, there should be a small banner that says “Help your favorite animal shelter win a prise!” Click on that button that says “VOTE TODAY!”
3. A new window should open that allows you to vote for a shelter. And, since we are your favorite shelter, this should be easy. 
Fill out the box with our name “SPCA, Inc.” and state “FL”, and it should bring us up. Then, you can vote!
4. Next you’ll be taken to a page that asks you to identify the animal pictured. Give a simple answer to ensure that you’re not a random computer racking up votes for a shelter. A simple answer like lion, dog, cat, fish, etc. will suffice.
5. You’re done! Thanks for the vote!
Now, every day through April 18, you can come back and vote for us to help us get the prize! I’ve made the page my home page so that I don’t forget to vote every day. You can also include a link to this blog in your e-mail signature or forward this blog to friends so that they can help, too.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Spay Day 2010 is on Tuesday, February 23, and the SPCA has big plans for that week to recognize this national day of awareness.
Pet overpopulation is a serious problem in our area, region, country and world. There are thousands of pets that are born homeless every day. Spaying and neutering your pet is the only remedy to this problem.
During February, we will send out weekly e-mails to raise awareness of the benefits, myths and general information concerning pet sterilization. You can subscribe today if you’re not a part of our e-mail lists.
And, anyone that has their pet spayed or neutered at the SPCA during the week of Spay Day 2010 will be entered into a drawing to receive a FREE year’s supply of Revolution or Advantage. What a deal! You can make your pet’s appointment by calling 863/646-7722.
Spread the word with us and help us combat pet overpopulation!
